Monday 15 September 2008

Item 32: Thames Festival.. and One, Two, Free

Location: Westminster Bridge to Tower Bridge, London

The sun came out for the Mayor's Thames Festival this year, held during the middle weekend of September. An array of activities from river races, food and market stalls, buskers, musicians and dancers lined the banks for the Thames river, encouraging the people of London to get involved!

I bypassed the chance to watch the finals of the Pumpkin Growing Competition and Deep Soup Ceremony, 'handmade from locally grown pumpkins, onions and garlic cooked slowly in a cauldron' on the Saturday in favor of the River Tango Workshop on Sunday.

Approaching the tower of the Tate Modern, we saw the dance floor with enthusiastic partners taking their first steps in time with the beat and joined right in. Although I should have been concentrating on the steps, (one, two, three), I found it more interesting watching the people around me in their newly formed partnerships.

"Really, is this your first time? You're great," one stranger would say to another. Dance classes - more success than your online dating service!


A few bumps here and there on our way around the circle, it was a good introduction to the art of tango and how much more practice, and concentration, I would need.

There were plenty of other things on show for the day. With the sunlight and London's cooling breeze my day could have been marked off as perfect had I had a nice warm mug of homemade pumpkin soup.

Item 32: Thames Festival? CHECK!

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